Sunday, September 28, 2008

Baltimore Comic Con - A Short Report

I was only there Sunday and on one hand it was very enjoyable as it was not that crowded. On the other hand it was in a smaller room, there were less booths then other years and it felt a little blah.

The named artists had long lines, people had costumes and were dressed up, but the panels were hardly crowded and for me it felt a convention that has lost some status compared to how it felt the last two years.

It could be that I had no real interest in buying anything this year and while I had intended to try and introduce the blog to some creators and line up some interviews I decided against it. Also this is the first time I have attended the second day of the convention and maybe it is always a little off the second day.

I did enjoy the Bernie Wrightson spotlight panel and was amazed to realize that except for a correspondence course in commercial art the man was self taught.

6 comments:

I think it's just Sunday. I was there on Saturday. It was packed. Hell, I was in line to get my ticket for a half hour. And the one panel I went to, the debate between Kirkman and Bendis about whether writers and artists should do more/exclusive creator owned work was staning room only. Last year I went to Sunday only and it was a lot less packed, but from talking to a few of the veterans of the Comicon, I got the impression that attendance on Saturday was way up.

As for guests, I suppose it's based on who you want to see. I wanted to see Kirkman and Tim Truman. I saw both, so that worked for me.

Good to know that it was a Sunday thing, still I maybe already burnt out on Conventions again. I stayed away from cons for about 8/9 years after I had owned the comics store and I own and have on order what I really want, so except for meeting a few people (which is way too brief a time) it has lost its thrill for me.

There were some definite hits and misses with me this year. First off -- no free toon tumbler for us early risers, which they had done the previous two years. And, I had to wait in the box office line for two hours since I didn't go the ticketmaster "extra" charge route -- it was a pain and I will have to pony up the additional eight dollars next time. (Although, I did get back in the original line). Oh, and then there was the (temporary) malfunctioning camera problem on Sunday...

I was a little worn out trying to get free sketches, so I mainly concentrated on selling some books and chatting with people. Really, visiting with people I've met over the years is the funnest thing about the con for me now. I had some great conversations with Herb Trimpe and his wife, Ted and Sal of Superworld Comics (my "dealers"), Ron Wilson, John Gallagher, Lee and Andy Runton (Of course!!!).

It's always nice when despite your "agenda" you discover something new (to you). For me it was Todd Webb's (www.toddbot.com) wonderful "Tuesday Moon". I was already sold on the story before I realized that the moon's name was "MANN". The theme of the book is "It's never too late to make a bad day good".

I did end up paying for some cool sketches. I got an awesome Hulk from Trimpe and some family portraits by Andy and Todd. I really dig the Electra Woman and Dyna-Girl original art from Thom Zahler (creator of Love and Capes)! And it's always a huge motivator to my kids to meet people who draw for a living -- it really inspires them.

Next year, I hope to have an even smaller agenda and just hang out. Although I still need to get a Simonson sketch! I've tried 4 times now.

Honestly I have to say - straight up comic conventions probably wouldn't be terribly exciting for me any more. I've been spoiled by Gencon and the sheer amount of activities there are available to con-goers. I still want to go to San Diego Comic Con one day though, if only for the workshops.